The Receiving End
by The Wanderlust
Summary: The Children of Time are back, and better than ever! Only this time, they're on the receiving end of a call for help.
1. Chapter 1

**My first (complete) Doctor Who fanfic! I've been dying to do this for ages. Hope you like. Reviews are encouraged!**

* * *

Mickey Smith was sitting at the desk in his living room, on his computer. It hadn't been very busy lately. Very few alien attacks. He daydreamed for a while about fighting Sontarans with Martha.

_Beep!_ The computer made a loud alert noise. Mickey started, then did a double-take at the computer screen. On it, in large, clear font, was an alert message. It read:

**_URGENT!_ INCOMING MESSAGE FROM:**

The Doctor

"_Martha, get in here!_" Mickey called down the hall toward the bedroom. "What?" she came begrudgingly, but when she saw the screen she nearly shouted, "Well, what are you waiting for? Play it!" Mickey clicked "accept."

A video window popped up. A dark-haired man in tweed and a bow tie settled himself in front of the camera.

"Well that's rubbish, who's that supposed to be?" said Martha. Mickey shushed her. "Wait!"

The man on the video spoke.

"Hello, it's the Doctor. This is emergency protocol one - a recorded message - don't try to reply. If you're seeing this, it means I'm in a lot of trouble and I've told the TARDIS to send this. It'll seek out people that know me, so there may be a few more people getting this message."

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness stood at the monitor in awe, Gwen and Ianto at his side.

"The point is, if I'm sending this, it means the Earth is in danger, or worse, and I'm trapped or incapacitated or... otherwise unable to stop it."

* * *

Dr. River Song had broken out of Stormcage to get a decent cup of tea. She sat at an internet cafe, tea untouched, staring at the screen.

"The TARDIS should materialize near one of you lot. She'll probably determine the safest place to land between all of you."

_Vworp_

_Vworp_

_Vworp_

River glanced out the window at the noise and smiled.

* * *

Amy and Rory Pond had been in their kitchen when they heard the alert noise from the computer down the hall. Both stood before the screen, staring with rapt attention.

"The TARDIS will establish a network connecting your computers so you can all work out where she is, and from there, where I am."

* * *

Mr. Smith was playing the message for Sarah-Jane and Luke.

"Because, and I know this will sound strange coming from me, but _I need your help._"

* * *

Craig Owens' computer was playing it for him and Sophie.

"The TARDIS should've had enough time to fix up the network by now. Good luck. Oh-" he paused, half-risen from his seat before the camera, "and... thank you."

* * *

Mickey's screen cut to static. A moment later, it divided itself into sections and people's images started to pop into view.

"Jack! Sarah-Jane!"

"Mickey! I really _can't_ get rid of you, can I?"

"But who are all you others? We haven't met," said Sarah.

A black-haired, black-clothed young woman spoke first. "Lady Christina de Souza. I met the Doctor on a bus that drove through a wormhole onto another planet."

Amy spoke next. "Amy and Rory Pond. I met the Doctor when I was seven, then he came back and we both travelled with him." Rory nodded.

An older man spoke. "I'm Wilfred Mott. Some of you may know my granddaughter, Donna."

Jack, Sarah-Jane, Mickey and Martha all exclaimed, smiling, and greeted Wilfred warmly.

When the noise died down, Craig spoke up. "Craig and Sophie Owens. We met the Doctor when he got stuck outside the TARDIS and he stayed in my flat. You'll remember us, Amy," he added. Amy nodded, waving at the camera.

"Right. Well, I'm Captain Jack Harkness," (Wilfred saluted,) "This is Gwen and Ianto, Sarah-Jane Smith, wave for us, there. Mickey and Martha Smith. We've all travelled with the Doctor before, as well."

Amy suddenly spoke. "River, you haven't said anything."

River, who had been smiling at the screen with an eyebrow raised, spoke. "Dr. River Song, archaeologist."

"How do you know the Doctor?" asked Sarah-Jane.

"I'm his wife."

Dead silence met this pronouncement as everyone except Amy and Rory gaped, open-mouthed, at River.

Amy spoke. "And... we're her parents."

Everyone but River looked confused for a moment before they all agreed simultaneously, "Time travel."

"Right," said River. "To business. The TARDIS has materialized near me, and I can fly her, so give me a minute to get inside and I'll reconnect to the network from there."

Her box went static for a few moments, then she reappeared. "Okay. Each of you needs to tell me where you are, so I can pick you up in the TARDIS."

One by one, faces disappeared from the network. Finally it shut down as the Torchwood team filed in and shut the door behind them.

Christina, Craig, Sophie, Gwen and Ianto, who had never been in the TARDIS before, were staring around, transfixed.

"It's-" started Sophie.

"Bigger on the inside, yes," finished River, who was fiddling with the console. "So, apparently, the last place the TARDIS landed is just above the planet. Let's try and open up a channel."

The monitor switched on. Immediately visible were Daleks. Lots of them. And just visible off to the side was the Doctor, who had appeared at first to be simply standing there, but on closer observation was in fact contained by an energy field. His attention was currently focused on the white Dalek speaking to him, and he didn't notice the giant screen come on.

"_Incoming message!_" said an orange Dalek at the controls.

"Hello, sweetie."

The Doctor did a double-take.

"Terribly sorry to interrupt," said River over the Daleks' commotion, "But I believe you have something we want."

"_What is this? Explain! Explain!_" screamed the Supreme.

The Doctor, who had been rendered temporarily speechless by the sheer number of faces beaming at him from the screen, stood with his hands pressed against the barrier. Blue-white ripples emanated from the places where his hands came into contact with it.

"I - I sent the TARDIS... to find my friends," he managed to say.

"Well, she certainly did that," said Jack.

Amy, Rory, Sarah-Jane, Mickey, Martha, Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Wilf, Craig, Sophie, and Christina waved pleasantly at the Doctor, while River's attention was drawn back to the Daleks.

"_You are a fool, Doctor, to think your friends can help you now!_" said the Supreme.

"You're the fool," said Amy, "to think we can't."

"The point right now is _what_ is a Dalek spaceship doing in orbit around the Earth?" River inquired, looking at the Dalek.

"To destroy it!" explained the Doctor. "I tried to stop them on my own, but, well..."

"But then, why are they keeping you alive?" asked Sarah-Jane.

"They want... to make me _watch_," he said, slightly hanging his head.

"_Correct_," the Supreme spoke to the group on the screen. "_The last child of Gallifrey will bear witness to the destruction of his precious Earth_," the white Dalek might have spat, had it any mouth, "_Then he will be exterminated as the planet's atomized remains are expelled into space._"

"Well," said Craig to Sophie, "I think we might just have a problem with that, don't you?"

"Certainly. Christina, Mickey, Martha, what do you think?"

"Definitely. Sarah? Jack? Wilf?"

"Absolutely."

"Doctor!" said Jack.

"Yes!" The Time Lord was beaming. Then he looked around as he heard a noise.

_Vworp_

_Vworp_

_Vworp_

"We're coming to get you."


	2. Chapter 2

_For the people who read this story back when I first wrote it, _ages_ ago, I'm so sorry for the delay! I'd never intended to continue this, but several positive reviews convinced me otherwise._

_This chapter is nearly all hellos, hugs, and happy faces, so it may get a bit dull... depends what you're in to, I guess. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy._

* * *

The Doctor stood beaming as the TARDIS materialized around him. As it settled, he turned to find all of his friends standing in a wide circle around the console. Still beaming, he ran up the steps to meet them.

There was a chorus of several variants of "Hello, Doctor!" from each of the individuals in the circle.

"You're brilliant! All of you! _Brilliant!_" he shouted in joy, dancing around the console. "_Brilliant!_" he repeated, kissing River on the cheek. She laughed. "Brilliant...," he said again, in a lower tone, giving the time rotor a grateful pat.

"I had no idea she'd find this many of you! This is fantastic!" he exclaimed, slowing down to get a better look at each and every one of them. River, Amy and Rory. Martha and Mickey, and Wilfred. Jack, Gwen and Ianto. Sarah Jane, and nearly-grown-up Luke. Craig and Sophie. Christina. Even K-9 had tagged along.

He hugged the Ponds first.

"How are you?" he inquired excitedly, as if there were nothing more important to him than to know. Come to think of it, there wasn't.

"Great! We've settled in," said Rory happily.

The Doctor pulled both Craig and Sophie into a wide embrace next.

"And you! How's Alfie? Everything's alright?"

"Yes!" Sophie asserted, "he's at my sister's place with his cousins. He's two and a half years old now," she added proudly.

"Excellent!" the Doctor moved on swiftly. He wanted to know everything, but there were so many of them!

"Martha Jones!"

"It's Martha _Smith_ now, Doctor," she said, placing an arm around Mickey's waist.

"Oh, that's _right!_ Congratulations!" he hugged them both, too.

"Sarah Jane." He simply looked at her for a moment as she smiled, biting her lower lip, in that signature way. Then he hugged her. "Luke!" he ruffled the younger boy's hair. "How's university?"

"Great, I've learnt so much!" he smiled broadly. K-9 scooted forward slightly.

"_Master_."

"I still can't believe he recognizes me! Good dog," the Doctor added, affectionately, scratching the metal dog behind the sound sensors.

"_Affirmative!_"

Wilfred Mott was watching the Doctor with something that might have been pride.

"Wilf! How are you? How's Donna?"

"She's great, Doctor! She still comes stargazing with me sometimes. She's married now, of course, and she's very happy."

"Good to hear," the Doctor said, hugging Wilfred warmly. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug, and he thought Wilf understood.

"Captain Jack!" he exclaimed, before Jack caught him and hugged him first. The Doctor laughed, giving an ecstatic wave to Gwen and Ianto, who stood behind Jack.

"Lady Christina! How are you? How's the Two Hundred held up?"

"Good! I had it fixed up after what happened in London. Quite a few dents," she said, with a glowing smile.

"I should think so!"

Having had his greetings, the Doctor surveyed the fourteen people (plus one metal dog) arranged around the console in a circle. His Children of Time, returned, for another go against the daleks. There was so much more he wanted to ask, so much to know, to care about. But no time.

"Right, down to business!" he spun around and started playing with the controls. "Now. Daleks are about to begin their invasion of Earth. But that's not a problem, we can fix that in a jiffy, d'you know why?" he addressed the control room at large. When no one answered, he looked around at them all. "Oh, come on! 'Cause I've got all of you, right? No problem!"

Finally, after all the silent watching, the control room erupted in raucous laughter and joy. The Doctor and River danced around and around the time rotor, and the TARDIS spun into action. Lights flashed on the console as the Doctor threw the shields into high gear, and the fourteen of the Children held on tight to the guardrails as she sped through the Vortex, coming to a stop with her low _thunk._

The Doctor snapped his fingers as they landed, and the TARDIS doors flung open as he sprinted down the steps, all fourteen friends on his heels.

* * *

_So! That's the end of this fic, but never fear! I intend on continuing the story in a separate fic, since it sort of takes on a different note from here on out. I've named it _A Greater Part_, but I might change it later to be something more... dramatic, I guess. Or maybe less is more. But never mind! Thank you for reading, and please review, it means so much to me._


End file.
